ATLANTA — German sportswear brand Adidas has announced plans to open a new footwear production site in the Atlanta area in 2017, eventually bringing part of the company’s manufacturing from Asia to the United States.
The facility, which will be known as adidas Speedfactory, is designed to allow the company to create products more quickly and closer to U.S. consumers using a highly automated process.
The 74,000-square-foot facility will be located in Cherokee County, a suburban area roughly 30 miles northwest of Atlanta. It is scheduled to open in the second half of 2017 and will produce 50,000 pairs of shoes a year while employing 160.
The U.S. factory will complement another Speedfactory facility operating in Germany. Adidas’ strategic partner Oechsler will operate both the U.S. and German facilities.
Adidas is headquartered in a small town in Bavaria. The company is publicly traded on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol ADS. Its parent company, Adidas Group, includes several other sports-goods brands such as Reebok and TaylorMade.
— Haisten Willis